History's hidden gems, 10 LGBTQ+ heroes you haven't heard of (yet)

Happy LGBTQ History Month!

Shirley Markham Collection/Heritage Images via Getty Images; Braxton University via Wikipedia CC-BY 3.0; John K. Hillers/Sepia Times/Universal Images Group via Getty Images; Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images

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While many may take time to carve pumpkins this month, I’m carving out space to honor the legends who paved the way for folks like us. October is LGBTQ+ History Month, a time when we not only celebrate the trailblazers who came before us but reflect on the wild, wonderful, and sometimes messy history of those who dared to live their truth—long before it was hashtag-worthy.

Though the world has come to recognize and celebrate giants like Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, Bayard Rustin, and Miss Major Griffin-Gracy, there are plenty whose flowers have yet to be given. These figures refused to stay in the shadows in a world that often tried to make them invisible. From sword-wielding opera singers to transgender spies, they didn’t just make history—they redefined what it means to live authentically.